A Tangle of Feathers
by dayoldcupcake
Summary: Vignettes highlight moments of a young crow's immortal life. (DaiSuga, KageHina, TsukkiYama) (Inspired & Cover Pic by Craziiwolf.Tumblr)
1. Crow Meets Crows

**A/N:** Hello! This fic is inspired by craziiwolf's fantastic #khwingedau artwork, so be sure to skip over to Tumblr if you haven't seen it yet!

As there are many marvelous fics written about Hinata losing his wings, I decided to go back in time instead. Each chapter is a vignette showing a snapshot of time, and as such, I have no idea how many chapters I'll end up writing. I simply add to it whenever I have an idea. Feel free to suggest something yourself, if you like!

Finally, I write for the shameless reward of comments, so _please_ consider leaving one if you enjoy this! Thank you!

* * *

 **Crow Meets Crows**

It took only a few seconds for the crow hatchling to punch his way out of his egg. When he peered through to find two sets of kind eyes, he was fascinated, waves of excitement and calm hitting him together. He didn't recognize these faces, and yet he knew them, recognized the feeling of their warm kindness from foggy, half-memories of incubating under their protection.

Five seconds old, and he was already addicted to that feeling. The chick hoisted himself over the broken remnants of his shell and ran to them, but his foot caught and he tumbled forward, landing face-first. Undeterred, he jumped up and continued his sprint into the welcoming arms of his new parents. Suga scooped him up while Daichi placed a hand on his head, and he beamed up at the two of them, overflowing with joy. He didn't notice, but his shoulder blades were glowing orange as two small tufts of black feathers appeared. Taking one look at this light, which perfectly matched the chick's hair and glowing smile, the older crows quickly agreed to name him Hinata.

* * *

Hinata was nothing if not confident, an understandable result of having such supportive parents. Every awful drawing, incorrect math problem, and burnt sandwich was met with as much unconditional encouragement as any of the rare things he did well. Of his few actual talents, Hinata's strongest was his likability and the ease with which he made friends. He was nearly universally adored by everyone in his murder, with one key exception.

"You're actually going to give that to Daichi?"

Hinata turns around to the source of the question, his wings already puffing up defensively. Tsukishima is standing right behind him—or rather, towering behind him—and peering down disdainfully at the small package clutched between Hinata's hands. "Of course I am," Hinata replies. "I worked really hard on this!"

In school, they had made special bath salts for Father's Day. Hinata had trouble following directions, today and always. He was too easily distracted, and his results were usually the most unique of the class. This time was no exception, and their teacher had actually insisted that they test his out, worried it risked causing permanent damage. In the end, his special formula didn't hurt, although it stung quite a bit, and the lavender scent was of a worrying strength, though not technically toxic.

"Well," Tsukishima says, his voice taunting, "Tell Daichi he'll be missed, and that we all hope protecting your precious feelings was worth having his wings disintegrated."

Hinata frowns deeply, clutching the package closer to his chest. In addition to the salts, they had all been instructed to create their own unique wrappings. Hinata had gone way over time, using most of recess to finish. The result was an unwieldy cluster of colored paper, glitter, ribbons, and bows, but it was also clear that he had spent a lot of time on it, more than any of the other chicks, and that was most important.

Hinata glares up at his sole non-friend and demands, "Why are always you so awful?!"

"I dunno, why are you always so short?" Tsukishima counters.

Hinata spreads his wings upward; they're enormous for his age and practically double his height. Huffing, he shouts, "Yah, well, why are your wings so small?"

Hinata may be the shortest chick in the murder, but his wings are unmatched by anyone even close to his age. Too young to fully understand the mysterious forces behind soul bonds, he long ago secretly concluded that his wings are huge because his parents love him more than anyone else's.

Unfortunately, rather than shutting Tsukishima down, Hinata only further provokes him. Clearly not in the mood to discuss the size of his wings, Tsukishima shoves Hinata hard, throwing him to the ground, turns around, and storms off in the other direction without another word.

Hinata walks home at a brisk pace with his head lowered and his mind racing. By the time he is greeted at the door by Suga, he is in serious danger of bursting into tears.

"Shochan, what's that? Did you make daddy a gift for Father's Day?" Suga says, reaching for the package.

"Um." Hinata clutches the thing closer to his chest, eyes shining. "Well. Yes. But, I dunno. If I should give it to him."

"Why not?" Suga asks, becoming alarmed. His son is not one to have self-doubt about anything, ever. "You worked so hard on it!"

A vision of Daichi with half-melted wings quickly flashes across Hinata's mind. He shuts his eyes, squeezing out a few fat tears. Suga has his arms around Hinata in an instant, and Hinata's mind jolts back to Tsukishima and his inexplicable meanness, and then suddenly Hinata is asking the question that's bothered him most for years. "Mommy, what makes wings grow?"

Suga pulls back, clearly unable to keep up with Hinata's erratic train of thought. He looks confused, but answers nonetheless. "Love. You know that."

"Right, okay," Hinata mutters, suddenly angry. "That makes sense. Kei is a horrible person, and that's why his wings are so small. It must be really hard to love him."

Hinata senses Suga's disappointment before he can see it. He feels in his shoulder blades, an uncomfortable prickling sensation that he, like all young chicks, knows instinctively to try and avoid. "Shoyo," Suga reprimands, "That's not how things work. It's not that simple. You can't measure love the way you measure wings."

"So it means nothing that the worst crow I know also has the smallest wings?" Hinata retorts, still angry.

Suga opens his mouth as if to respond, but then merely sighs. Hinata can feel the disappointment radiating from him, can see it drowning in his eyes, and feels terribly. He meets Suga's sad eyes with the most pathetic puppy dog expression he can muster, and tries to express without words, _I don't understand this stuff. Please try to explain it to me._ Suga merely shakes his head and pulls Hinata into another hug. "Most people are unkind because they don't have enough love in their lives. So when Kei is unkind, don't think of him as unlovable. Think of him as someone deserving of even more love."

Hinata doesn't understand, and continues not to understand for many, many years. He often suspects Suga is just too nice for his own good, but he trusts his mother enough to stop judging crows by the size of their wings.

* * *

Every time Hinata grasps some fundamental concept of soul bonds, he inevitably soon winds up even more confused. Tsukishima has taken to referring him solely as Tiny Idiot, which Hinata takes offense to, but sometimes he has to wonder if he isn't as smart as Suga and Daichi insist that he is.

And, it's actually on the topic of Tsukishima that the newest bombshell drops.

"I'm happy for Akiteru, but is now really the right time?" Daichi asks.

Suga responds with a noncommittal noise. Hinata seizes the opportunity to jump in and asks his dad. "So, Kei will be living alone from now on?"

"Yes, that's right. I really think he's too young, but Akiteru insists he can handle it. The two of them have made it work since—" his voice trails off; even decades later, it's still difficult to mention the passing of Tsukishima's parents "—since he was young, but…"

"It's their decision, ultimately," Suga says.

"Yes, but, his wings are so small, will he be okay on his own?" Hinata asks.

Suga and Daichi share a look, with smirks and raised eyebrows and everything, and Hinata huffs. He hates that fucking look. It usually means he is going to be sent to his room for an hour with no explanation except that his daddies need some time alone. "What!?"

"I don't think they'll stay small for long," Suga says, still smirking.

"What do you mean?" Hinata asks, feeling even stupider than usual. "I thought, because his parents—you know. They stopped growing."

Daichi and Suga again share a look, different from the earlier one but just as infuriating. This look says, 'How do we explain this to our stupid son without making him feel stupid?'

"Well," Daichi begins cautiously, "You know, when you grow old enough, and find your soulmate, the parental bond breaks. Then, the soulmate bond replaces it."

"And," Suga finishes for him, his voice gleeful, "We have a pretty good feeling that Kei and Tadashi—"

"—wait. What?!" Hinata exclaims, bolting up from his seat with such force he nearly flips over the table. He doesn't, but he does manage to smash up his knees pretty good, hard enough to bring tears to his eyes. The pain does nothing to calm his furious panic. "What do you mean, the parental bond breaks? That. That would only happen if you guys died, right? And you never will, so!?"

"Shochan," Suga reassures, getting up from the table and hurrying over. Daichi does the same. They each put a hand on his shoulder, and Hinata gets the feeling it's more to keep him in place than for comfort. "It's nothing to be afraid of. One day, you'll find your soulmate, and your bond with them with make your wings stronger than ever."

Hinata shakes his head furiously, "No! Never! I don't want a soulmate!"

Suga and Daichi share another look, but this one Hinata fails to notice.

* * *

Before he is even through the door, Hinata sternly announces, "Mom, I can't be friends with Yachi anymore."

Suga hangs his head, already exhausted by this conversation. Softly, he asks, "And why is that?"

"I like her too much," Hinata replies.

"Okay," Suga says, "But… wait, what?"

"We get along great," Hinata explains. "I mean, she's scared of me, but she's scared of everything, and she's actually less scared of me than even her own shadow, so. You know. And I really just like spending time with her. Like, lots of time."

"And... that's why you can't be her friend anymore?" Suga asks, struggling to decode Hinata's bizarre logic.

Hinata goes quiet, then frowns, and then starts to tremble. Suga walks over and pulls Hinata close, cradling his head, one hand buried in his hair. Hinata finally asks, in a very small voice, "What if she's my soulmate? I don't want you guys to stop loving me yet."

"Okay, first of all," Suga scolds. "We're never going to stop loving you. Whether we make your wings grow or not, we will always love you." Suga pauses to let this, the most important part, sink in. Hinata sniffles and nods slightly, so Suga continues. "And, if she were your soulmate, would that really be such a bad thing? You just said you love spending time with her," he reasons, and Hinata nods again, hesitantly, though continues to look distraught.

Suga sighs, hesitates, sighs again, and then says, "But also... and we aren't really supposed to get involved, but," he hesitates again, but then finishes with, "I really don't think you have to worry about that. Your soulmate isn't going to be someone you get along great with all the time. It's gonna be someone that, sometimes, you really hate."

Hinata considers this. He tries to imagine someone he really hates, and Tsukishima's image comes immediately to mind. His expression turns truly horrified. "No-"

"No, no," Suga quickly corrects, clearly able to read Hinata's mind, "I'm not saying that either. It's something in between." And, before Hinata can start worrying that a boring crow like Ennoshita is his soulmate, Suga clarifies, "No, not exactly in between. It's like... um, take your best feelings for Yachi, ok? Then take your worst feelings for Kei, and... sort of, um, splice them together. That's what it'll feel like. Being jostled between those two extremes."

"That sounds horrible," Hinata says, recoiling. "And, wait, what? But you and dad never fight!"

"Not around you," Suga confesses. "We wouldn't want to hurt you like that."

"It's okay though! I know you guys love each other, even if you fight."

Suga smiles, and it's the kind of smile that Hinata knows means he is hiding some truth that Hinata can't yet handle, but consumed by this new information, Hinata lets it go. For the first time, Hinata is kind of excited to meet his soulmate. The whole thing suddenly sounds exciting.


	2. Crow Meets Cat

**A/N:** As always, I really appreciate feedback, so please consider leaving some if you enjoy this! Thank you!

* * *

 **Crow Meets Cat**

Hinata is notoriously easy to excite and difficult to calm, even in the most mundane of situations, and today is anything but mundane. Rather, it's one of the most exciting days of Hinata's young life, and nothing could possibly dampen his exhilaration.

Today, Suga is taking him for a flight—a real flight, down to where most of the world exists, below the clouds, down to where there are trees, and below those trees, unknown creatures and exotic plants and all kinds of wild excitement. Finally, Hinata gets to truly spread his wings and fly, really fly, not just above his house or down the street, but in the open sky above a world he has always been kept from.

Unable to contain himself, Hinata spreads his wings and flaps down the stairs, banging them frequently along the way. Once in the kitchen, he flies up to retrieve the bread from the top shelf and smacks his head hard against the ceiling. These are probably some of the reasons why he isn't actually allowed to fly in the house, but nobody is here to see him, so-

"Shoyo." Before Daichi's stern voice can finish reverberating through the room, Hinata's feet are already planted back on the floor, wings folded tightly behind him.

"Yah?" Hinata responds sweetly, spinning around to face his father and silently praying Daichi hadn't seen him moments before.

"Now, I know you're excited," Daichi says, not exactly clearing up whether or not he had caught Hinata breaking the rules, "but you need to remember to be careful today, and you must obey Suga completely."

"I know, I know! Mom already talked to me-"

"But I haven't yet," Daichi interrupts. He walks over to Hinata and rests two hands on his shoulders, staring directly into his eyes. Daichi's touch is gentle, but Hinata feels weighted down anyway, possibly by the severity of his father's expression. "The earth is very dangerous. You're old enough to have your first flight over it, but you are not to drop below the canopy, and you are not to let go of Suga's hand, not for an instant. You are not yet prepared for what lurks below those trees. If you in any way disobey Suga, I will personally tie your wings to your back with a chain and padlock, and you will be lucky to be flying again by your thousandth birthday. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Hinata assures him, only slightly terrified.

* * *

The view is spectacular. Having grown up in a small town surrounded by clouds, more clouds, and sometimes slightly differently shapes clouds, even the few patches of clear sky are breathtaking. Then the mountains come into view, and the lakes, and of course the trees, which together form a thick, seemingly-endless cluster of colors carpeting as far as Hinata can see.

"I thought they were green," Hinata wonders aloud.

"Sometimes, but this time of year is called autumn, and the leaves change into many different colors. This is why I kept putting off taking you here," Suga says, and Hinata swears he can hear the smugness in those words.

And yet, for once, Hinata doesn't care that his mother is infinitely wiser than him and probably always will be. "Thank you," is all he can really think to say.

Hinata soon persuades Suga to break the hand-holding rule. He wants to show off a little, and after assuring Suga over and over and over again that he won't drop below the tree line or beyond Suga's site, his mom finally caves. It's even better than he imagined, having unlimited space to spread his wings and soar, no obstacles to avoid, no adults screaming at him to _get down, you idiot._

As more time passes, he starts to forget to look back for Suga, but Hinata is sure Suga can keep up. Eventually he forgets about Suga entirely, once his mind is overtaken by the euphoric feeling of freedom, and by the views, and by the thrill of experiencing so many new things at once.

Suddenly, a voice carries from below. It's an unmistakable shriek of pain, and Hinata can feel the unknown crow's terror like an injection delivered directly to his spine. Without thinking, Hinata folds his wings and dives down below the canopy, following the sound.

* * *

Once below the trees, it takes only a few glances for Hinata to locate the endangered crow. It's an incredibly strange-looking bird, but he doesn't dwell on that; the thing is clearly in pain, shaking and glancing around frantically, its eyes wide and terrified. Hinata drops to his feet right beside it and puts out his hands. "Are you okay?" he asks. "What happened? And—oh my god, where are you wings?"

Upon future inspection, Hinata is less sure this thing is a crow at all, but he doesn't know what else it might be. It certainly could be a crow—it has a face similar to his, with two eyes, a nose, mouth, and four limbs, but possibly strange ears, although he can't get a proper look while it's curled up so defensively. As Hinata comes closer, the thing jumps to its feet, shoulders hunched and eyes narrowed in distrust. Were Hinata not clueless about body language, he would know to read this as _get back_ , but he is clueless, so he doesn't. Instead, Hinata continues taking two steps forward for every one of the strange crow's steps back.

"Are you okay?" Hinata repeats, this time in a louder voice, moving forward until the crow is backed up against a wide tree trunk. Hinata continues, in a near-shout, "Who are you? What happened to your wings? Why are you bleeding? Please, let me help you!"

It slides sideways against the trunk and, once free of the barrier, makes a run for it. Hinata immediately follows. "Hey, wait!"

In its panic, the strange crow's foot catches on an exposed root and it flies forward, landing in a tangled heap. Hinata is there a moment later, hovering over it. "Are you okay!? What's wrong with you? What are you running from?"

Finally, it turns to Hinata and angrily hisses, "You!"

"What do you mean?" Hinata asks, looking wounded. "I'm just trying to help you! You can't go around down here with no wings... there's evil, dangerous things everywhere!"

"Yes," it agrees, speaking in a furious whisper, "and you're going to call them to us with all your shouting!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Hinata says, much quieter this time. "I just want to help you."

"What? Why?" It asks, looking truly confounded.

"Because, crows always help each other! I can't just leave you here in danger," Hinata explains.

It stares at him for a long time, similar to the way Hinata's teachers stare when he supplies them with an incredibly, stupendously wrong answer. "I'm not," it says, softly.

"Not what?"

"Not a crow."

"...haah?"

"I'm a cat," Kenma says, still eyeing Hinata with suspicion. "You've never seen a cat before?"

"No," Hinata confesses. "I've never been down here before. My mom—" he starts to say, but then suddenly, finally remembers that Suga is still up there, probably having a panic-rage attack. "—oh shit," he finishes, his blood going cold. He is so dead.

"Your mom…?" Kenma repeats, confused. "Well, you're right, it is dangerous, so you should fly out of here right away. Don't worry about me; my friend is already taking care of what did this," he says, gesturing to the bite on his ear. "Besides, you don't want your parents catching you socializing with a cat. We don't get along, cats and crows."

"What do you mean!?" Hinata demands, abruptly distracted from the terrifying thought of what Daichi is going to do to him later. "We're getting along right now!"

"Um." Kenma hesitates, trying to determine if Hinata is being sincere. "Maybe, but things aren't that simple. Look, you should fly away."

"But you're still bleeding, and alone, and your wings are missing!"

"This is nothing," Kenma says, "and my friend will find me soon, and cats don't have wings."

"No wings?" Hinata exclaims, reeling. It takes him a while to recover from this shock, but then he insists, "Well, I'm staying here until your friend comes back."

"Why?"

"Because we're friends!"

Kenma shakes his head, not sure what to make of this weird crow. Nonetheless, a small smile appears. "Alright."

* * *

They walk together, with Hinata occasionally taking flight to get a better view. Neither of them manages to spot Kenma's friend, or snakes, or even any other creature larger than a beetle. After an hour, they decide the better strategy would be to stay still, so they find a spot to rest.

"Why don't you just try calling out to your friend?" Hinata asks, again.

"It would attract the snakes," Kenma reminds him, again.

"Oh, right. So why did you suggest that I do it?"

"If they came, you could just fly away. Snakes can't fly," Kenma explains.

"But you couldn't! So I'd be leaving you in even more danger!"

"It's strange for you to think that way. You should learn to focus more on self-preservation."

Before Hinata can argue further, a black blur emerges from behind a nearby bush and Hinata is slammed down on his back, pinned at the shoulders. He senses a sharp pain and looks up to find another... cat, yes, he can recognize it now... this one with spikey black hair and mean eyes.

"Kuro!" Kenma shouts, relieved.

Hinata's eyes dart between Kenma and Kuro, and then to Kuro's bared teeth, and then to Kuro's eyes, which seem to be locked on to Hinata's exposed neck. "Um... Kenma?" Hinata calls out, quickly becoming alarmed.

"Kuro!" Kenma scolds, approaching the two of them. "Stop that!"

"Was this crow causing you trouble, Kenma?" Kuro purrs, lips curling.

"No, he was helping me to find you!"

"What?" Kuro leans back, surprised. "Kenma, you don't even like other cats. You sure as hell don't like crows."

"Well, I like this one, so get off him!" Kenma says, shoving Kuro.

Once the weight is lifted, Hinata pulls himself up and inspects the damage. His shoulders are bleeding from ten minuscule punctures, but only slightly, and his feelings are hurting way more than the cuts. He wants to address this hurt with Kenma, but Kenma and Kuro are already locked in their own argument, their voices too soft for him to eavesdrop. Kuro doesn't seem happy.

Finally, Kuro pulls Kenma away, and all Hinata gets from his new friend is one silent, apologetic look before they vanish through the brush.

* * *

Hinata brushes himself off and spreads his wings, flying straight up through the tops of the trees. He finds a solid branch, tall enough to give him a good view of the skies, and perches there. He looks around for any sign of Suga, and as the minutes pass and he begins to comprehend the severity of what he has done, his eyes start filling with tears. When Hinata finally hears a familiar voice, he nearly loses his balance, because it's not Suga's voice; it's Daichi's. Still, he chokes back his panic and calls out, "Dad, I'm here!"

Hinta feels that familiar prickling sensation in his shoulder blades, but this time it isn't merely uncomfortable, it hurts. He imagines that some colony of biting insects have latched on to his wings and are now biting him furiously. Daichi's grip on his arm is also painful, and Hinata struggles not to cry, from the pain, the guilt, and the fear of the trouble he is in. He remains silent as they soar back toward the clouds. He doesn't know what's about to happen, but he wants to be home, and it wants it to be over.

Hinata has never, ever seen his parents fight, and the few times he imagined it, it was nothing like this. He had spent the entire flight home worried for himself, but now his only fear is for Suga's safety. Daichi looks insane.

"I can't believe you let him out of your sight!" Daichi is screaming. Suga has his arms wrapped around himself; his back is hunched forward and his face looks utterly devastated. "Fucking answer me! What were you thinking?"

"I told him to stay beside me," Suga replies softly.

"And I told _you_ not to let go of his hand even for an instant!"

"I know!"

"The snakes were active today! They just attacked a couple of kittens! In the exact same area where he vanished!" Daichi pauses, letting this sink in. He clenches and unclenches his fists. "Do you have any idea how much danger he was in!?"

"Yes!" Suga shouts, sounding exhausted.

"He could have died!"

"I know!"

Hinata stands there, watching Suga and Daichi scream at one another, the tips of their wings on fire. He wants desperately to speak up, to defend Suga and take responsibility, but Daichi is terrifying when angry, and his own wings hurt so badly now he is quickly losing the ability to breath normally. As his parents continue to scream at each other, Hinata sinks to the floor and curls up, rocking back and forth, consumed by pain. He wants it to stop, but he knows this is all his fault, and it just hurts so much...

"Shoyo?"

Hinata looks up to find Daichi kneeling beside him, his rage vanished, replaced with concern. Hinata realizes that his entire body is shaking, and then realizes that his throat hurts, and he wonders if he had been screaming, and how many times did they have to call his name before he heard them? The pain has stopped, but he remains engulfed in the memory of it, amplified by terror, confusion, and guilt. "I'm really, really sorry," he chokes out, with difficulty, his breathing having become deep, irregular gasps of air.

"It's okay, Shoyo. We're sorry too," Daichi says. Hinata slowly realizes that Daichi is shaking too, even harder than himself. "We were just worried about you. What you did," he starts to say, but his voice hitches and he becomes unable to finish.

"I'm so sorry," Hinata repeats before another wave of grief hits and the sobs render him breathless. Suga and Daichi sit together on the floor, cradling their distraught son and shielding him with their wings, although no danger lurks here. Hinata's sobs eventually fade, first to hiccups, and then to the peaceful breathing of sleep, but the three stay there all night, wrapped up together, their wings glowing faintly.


	3. Crow Meets King

**A/N:** As always, I really appreciate feedback, so please consider leaving some if you enjoy this! Thank you!

* * *

 **Crow Meets King**

"Shochan, you've been looking forward to this for a year!"

"I know."

"So what's with that face?" Suga teases, gently prodding Hinata's elbow with a finger.

Hinata is hunched over his breakfast, elbows on either side of his plate, his posture so slouched that his hair is half-submerged in oatmeal. He sighs dramatically; combined with his short statue, he looks positively childish and nothing like the young adult he has actually become.

"I thought you and Tsukishima got along better these days," Suga continues, sounding cautious. Rather than answering his mother's stupid question, Hinata simply scowls. "What about Tadashi? You've always gotten along with him!"

"Nope," Hinata replies. "Not anymore. Now he worships every stupid thing Kei does. I think kissing him damaged his brain."

Suga shakes his head lightly, smiling despite this unpleasant display. "What about the rest of your group? Got anything against them?"

"No," Hinata concedes, "But there's only one other crow, and I don't know who he is. I asked all my friends, but nobody's heard of him. How is that even possible? Apparently he's lived around here his whole life!"

"I don't know... but you'll meet him soon enough," Suga says, giving his son a reassuring pat. He guides Hinata's head up and away from the table, then begins to lovingly clean bits of caked oatmeal from the tips of his orange hair.

* * *

"Group six—Tsukishima, Hinata, Yamaguchi, Kageyama—you four are assigned to Mr. Takeda."

Hinata searches for Mr. Takeda, a youthful-looking crow not much taller than Hinata, with a round face and glasses, who radiates about as much authority as an anxious squirrel.

"Mr. Takeda!" Hinata shouts, spotting him and bounding over. "I look forward to working with you!"

"Nice to see you again, Shoyo! I'll be counting on your help today," Takeda answers, smiling.

"I wouldn't count on him if I were you," Tsukishima drawls, coming up from behind Hinata like a silent, towering monster. "Hinata can barely walk in a straight line without his mother's coddling assistance. I don't know what they were thinking, approving him for this."

"Tsukki," Yamaguchi whispers, nudging Tsukishima and sending Hinata an apologetic look. "Be nice."

"A-alright then," Mr. Takeda announces, clearly uncomfortable, "We're all here. Follow me!"

Hinata opens his mouth to protest—they're missing one!—but then he spots him out of the corner of his eye. Hinata spins around with a dramatic flail and stares openly at the tall, dark crow with mean, blue eyes. Kageyama had arrived so silently that Hinata hadn't even noticed. Kageyama gives him an appraising look, taking in Hinata's crazy posture and gaping mouth, and with nothing more than an annoyed "tch" sound, steps around him to follow Takeda and the others.

* * *

"Your task today is to collect mirror orchids, like this one," Takeda says, holding up a translucent flower. "They grow on the tops of tall trees, so you needn't go anywhere near the forest floor—that is, I mean, _don't_ go near the forest floor! You are too young, and Ukai will kill me if any of you get lost or hurt!"

Takeda shakes a little, terrified by the thought, but then refocuses and continues. "But they can be hard to spot, so fly slowly and look carefully. Collect as many of these as you can; we'll need a lot in the coming months, once the bird flu starts spreading. I'm dividing you into two pairs—remember to always stay together! Tsukishima, you go with..." he says, glancing around and spotting Yamaguchi's enthusiastic waving, "...Yamaguchi, okay. So then, Hinata, you go with Kageyama. Meet back here in six hours. Please don't be late!"

Tsukishima and Tadashi share a quick look before taking off and heading north. Hinata turns to Kageyama, who still hasn't said a word to anyone, but he is already gone, having taken off already, heading south. Takeda merely shrugs in response to Hinata's exasperated look, so Hinata takes flight, flapping hard to catch up.

"Hey! We're supposed to stay together!" he shouts as soon as he gets within earshot of Kageyama. He receives nothing in response, so he flaps even harder, panting as he hurries to catch up. "We—are—supposed—to—stay—together!" he repeats as soon as he is beside Kageyama, who continues to look ahead.

"So, stop lagging behind," Kageyama finally replies, sounding angry.

"What!? No I wasn't! You just flew off without telling me! You can't do that!" Hinata protests, scowling at him.

"You weren't paying attention," Kageyama says, then he finally glances over at Hinata, but only for a few seconds. "You're a shitty flier."

Hinata wants to defend himself, but when he goes to speak, all that comes out is an unintelligible, angry sound, followed by silent huffing. He continues to gape furiously at Kageyama, until he is suddenly hit with a sharp pain, and then sees blackness.

* * *

Hinata wakes to find himself upside down in a tree, his wings and limbs tangled in the many crooked branches. Everything hurts, but especially his head, and the throbbing in his temple only worsens when he hears Kageyama's voice coming from somewhere above him.

"You're such an idiot. Who doesn't look where they're flying? Just stay there; you were slowing me down anyway. I'll come back for you in a few hours."

Hinata feels the branches lurch as Kageyama's weight lifts from the tree. He struggles to free himself for what feels like an hour, and by the time he does, he is horrified to find that he has sprained his right wing. He can only spread it three-quarters of the way out before a sharp pain forces him to recoil, and so when he takes off after Kageyama, he does so lopsidedly, and slowly, his left wing overcompensating for the right.

Despite this disadvantage, Hinata spots him rather quickly. He intends to lurk quietly at a distance; the combination of pain from his wing, humiliation from the fall, and disappointment over this entire day keep welling up, threatening to bring tears to his eyes, and he would rather lose a wing entirely than let Kageyama see him cry. And yet, he just can't help himself.

"What the fuck is your problem, asshole!" he screams, tearing off a nearby branch and chucking it at Kageyama's head.

Kageyama turns, scowling. His satchel, which had been empty when they separated, is now bloated with hundreds of clear flowers, too full to properly tie shut. He tosses it to Hinata, who catches it out of reflex. Kageyama then holds out his hand expectantly. "I told you, you were slowing me down. Give me your bag. Just wait here while I fill it."

Hinata grips his own, empty bag tightly. "No! We're supposed to do this together! You're not a king, and I'm not your servant!" When Kageyama continues to stare him down, hand outstretched, Hinata backs away, balancing carefully on the branches of the tree. Suddenly, with a quick glance around, he realizes he knows this place.

Kageyama's frown deepens; Hinata notices a split-second of fear as his eyes dart down to where the ground must be, obscured by branches and leaves. "If you fall, I'm not going after you."

For the first time since two days ago when he received his group assignment, Hinata smirks, an idea forming. "You know, I bet I can last longer on the forest floor than you," he taunts. "Bet you'd fly off in terror long before me."

"Don't be stupid. You can barely stay in the air."

"I bet I can. I'll prove it. And when I do, you have to follow my lead for the rest of the day. Deal?"

"When you lose, you will shut up, stay put, and let me do everything."

"Sure," Hinata agrees, starting to get angry again.

"Fine," Kageyama shouts. He snatches back the satchel, ties it closed as best he can, and stashes it in a thick of leaves. "This shouldn't take more than a minute."

They find a clearing in the canopy and drop forty meters to the ground below. Kageyama is clearly unsettled, probably, like most crows, having never been down here, knowing about it only through horror stories and obituaries. Hinata, enjoying his discomfort, cups his hands around his mouth and makes a strange hooting sound, then creeps up behind Kageyama and whispers, "Lotta spooky things live down here..."

Kageyama turns on him, eyes wide and furious. "What the fuck are you doing? Shh!"

"Sorry," Hinata whispers, eyes shining with quiet laugher. He doesn't look sorry at all.

They stand there in silence, each rustle of leaves and creak of the trees causing Kageyama to jump and look around him. Hinata can sense his anxiety reaching a peak when they're both jolted by the sound of something thunking in the distance, followed by the distinct sound of something walking toward them, rustling brush as it lurks nearer.

"You aren't brave; you're an idiot," Kageyama says in an angry whisper, spreading his wings as the footsteps come closer. "Come on, it'll be a pain in the ass for me if you die."

Rather than spreading his own wings, Hinata plops down on the dirt, legs crossed. "Sorry to hear that," he says, no longer bothering to keep his voice down.

"Get _up!_ " Kageyama urges, the footsteps now coming at a faster place. "Don't be a dumbass! Come on!" The bush right behind him rustles, and Kageyama takes flight, just barely dodging the creature that flies past where he stood a moment ago, landing squarely on Hinata. "Hinata!" he shouts, hovering out of the creature's reach and trying to get a better view of Hinata's injuries. His fury reaches its limit when he realizes that Hinata is, in fact, laughing, and so is the creature. "What-!?"

"Who is this moody guy?" Kenma asks, with the faintest hint of a smile.

"Long story," Hinata replies.

"What happened to your wing?"

"He did."

"Oh," Kenma says, taking a seat beside Hinata. "I wasn't expecting you today."

"I know," Hinata says, totally ignoring Kageyama, who looks as though his confusion is the only thing stopping him from committing a double homicide. "Today was my first day working, you know, I told you, cuz I'm an adult now! We can start to go out and do stuff to help, but we were put in groups, and I got put with Tsukishima—I told you all about him—and his... well boyfriend I guess, who is nice enough, but how nice can you really be to be in love with Tsukishima? And I thought that was the worst of it, but no, cuz then I meet this asshole," he says, gesturing to Kageyama. "And now I'm here with a sprained wing and I just wanted to scare him a little because he is such a massive asshole, thinks he's a king, acts so much better than me..."

Kenma, who over decades of friendship with Hinata has become perfectly familiar with his wild ramblings, merely smiles and nods. "Well, did I help?"

"I think so," Hinata replies, flashing a toothy grin. "Were you scared, Kageyama- _kun_?"

Kageyama, who most definitely was scared, turns his murderous stare from Hinata, to Kenma, then back to Hinata, and then he's gone, back up past the view of the canopy.

"Should you go after him?" Kenma asks.

"Uh, I'd rather not," Hinata says, but he does, with a sad wave to his friend.

* * *

Their final two hours together pass in complete silence. In the end, Kageyama does essentially finish the task himself, collecting orchids while Hinata takes countless breaks to nurse his wing, soothe his hurt feelings, and wallow in the fact that this is his life for the next three months, doomed to spend five full days a week with the only two crows ever to dislike him. He thought perhaps Kageyama would see the fun in his prank, or be impressed by his ability to adventure beyond the trees and make friends with cats, but no. Kageyama hasn't spoken since they left Kenma, and barely looks over, except to silently communicate his displeasure with Hinata's flying, the way he eats, and once the volume with which he was breathing.

They return to Takeda with three minutes to spare, and he is thrilled with their haul. Mirror orchids are notoriously hard to spot, and he had been perfectly pleased with Tsukishima and Tadashi's single half-bag, but his elation over their two overflowing ones is mitigated by their unwillingness to speak to or look at one another, which he notices but doesn't dare address.

"Tomorrow, let's mix up the groups!" He announces cheerfully, even as sweat pours down his face. "Maybe Hinata and Yamaguchi, and Tsukishima and Kageyama? How does that sound?"

The silence in response in deafening. Even Yamaguchi seems eager to hurry off as soon as they reach their village, grasping Tsukishima's hand to drag him away. Kageyama and Hinata march off in opposite directions, and Takeda's panicked fake-cheery voice carries after them all, "Okay, good work today! See you all tomorrow!"

As soon as Hinata is through the door, Suga and Daichi greet him, towering over him like overly enthusiastic bouncers.

"So, how was it?" Suga asks.

"Why is your wing bent like that!?" Daichi adds, reaching out to gingerly touch his son's wing.

Without a word, Hinata ducks between them and races to his room. The closest thing to an answer they get is the sound of his door slamming shut.


End file.
